Egypt court suspends ban on online cab services

Cairo: An Egyptian court has ordered the suspension of a ban on online cab services — Uber and Careem — until their appeal is determined by a higher court.

On March 20, Cairo’s administrative court ruled to ban the services of the two companies and stop their online applications, but Saturday’s order suspended the former ruling, reports Xinhua news agency.

The judicial issue started in response to a lawsuit filed in February 2017 by a group of Egyptian taxi drivers who accused the two ridesharing services of violating the traffic law by using privately-owned cars as cabs.

Uber and Careem, two ridesharing giants operating regionally and internationally, have gained popularity in Egypt over the past few years, appealing to customers who complain about alleged cheating and misbehaviour of traditional taxi drivers, such as refusing to use the metres or tampering with them.

The two companies have recently introduced ridesharing motorbikes and three-wheeled motorised rickshaws, known as “tuk-tuks”, as new services in some areas of the country.